The health benefits of a diet including blue-green algae such as Aphanizomenon flos aquae (AFA) and species of Arthrospira (commonly known as Spirulina) have long been appreciated. In particular, certain phytochemicals such as phycocyanin are well known for beneficial properties including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capabilities (Shih et al., Anesthesia & Analgesia, 108:1303-1310, 2009). However, accessing these benefits in a safe and economical way continues to be a challenge.
Blooms of harmful Microcystis aeruginosa, which produce toxic microcystins, are found world-wide in bodies of fresh and low salinity water that also serve as the natural sources of beneficial blue-green algae. One such contaminated body of water is the Klamath Lake, the only commercial source of AFA in the world. Although methods of removing Microcystis from mixtures of other algae such as of AFA have been developed, such methods do not remove any microcystins that may already be present in the water. Similarly, although several methods have been employed to purify phycocyanin, it remains a challenge to produce large-scale, readily ingestible quantities of this beneficial protein.
Thus a need exists for methods of processing blue-green algae to remove harmful microcystins toxins and isolate beneficial phycocyanin.